Compartmented tubular storage file



Jan. 1, 1963 R. s. SHELLY COMPARTMENTED STORAGE FILE Filed Oct. 6, 1958 INVENTOR. I ROBERT S. SHELLY,

ATTQRNEYS Utah Filed Oct. 6, 1958, Ser. No. 765,609 2 Claims. (Cl. 22022) This invention relates to storage files for sheets which are rolled before being stored, for example, engineering drawings.

In my applications for US. patent, Serial Numbers 485,940 and 582,803, filed February 3, 1955, and May 4, 1956, now Patent Nos. 2,871,080 and 2,872,265, respectively, I have disclosed multiple unit storage files made up of a plurality of individual multiplex file units, having respective interiors of elongate tubular configuration and exteriors enabling the several units to be compactly fitted together and interlocked. The interiors of such units are ordinarily cylindrical, and are adapted to receive a rolled drawing or several drawings rolled concentrically.

Where, for indexing purposes, it is desirable that the drawings be kept in separate file units, as is often the 'case, there may be a considerable waste of available storage space. This is particularly true in instances of smaller drawings.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide such a storage file unit with a compartmented interior, each compartment of which is effectively provided with individual-means for limiting the extent of insertion thereinto of a rolled drawing or similar article for storage.

An important object is to provide structure for quickly, easily, and economically converting an uncompartmented storage file unit of the type concerned to the desired compartmented storage file unit.

Additional objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred specific form thereof illustrated in the acompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 represents a perspective view of a multiple unit storage file made up of six interlocked individual storage file units of the type concerned, the door of one of the units being open to show the compartmented construction in accordance with this invention;

FIG. 2 a perspective view of the internal partition structure removed from a storage file unit; and

FIG. 3, a top plan of the partition structure of FIG. 2, showing how stops are bent from the partitions at appropriate locations to accommodate drawings of different lengths in the several compartments.

Referring to the drawing:

The compartmented tubular storage files 10 of FIG. 1 constitute individual storage receptacle units of a multiple unit storage file conforming to the disclosure of my aforementioned application Serial No. 582,803, now Patent No. 2,872,265. They difier from the storage receptacle units of that application only in being individually compartmented, so as to each offer a plurality of individual compartments 11 for separately storing one or more rolled drawings or similar articles.

The partition structure 12 is formed separately from the storage unit 10, being inserted through the open front of such a unit whenever it becomes desirable to have a United States Patent compartmented unit, and being retained therein merely by friction fit. 1

In the illustrated construction, such partition structure is made up of two similarly-formed, elongate elements 13, FIG. 2, bent to structural angle formation from a strip of stifily flexible sheet material, advantageously aluminum or other metal, and placed together back-to-back, as shown.

Each partition element is provided with mating means along its vertex for interlocking with the corresponding mating means of the other partition element, the mating means of the illustrated elements 13 being a strip section 14 offset from one of the legs 13a. The other leg 13b is bent back partially over such strip section 14, as at 15, so that the four legs of the two partition elements, arranged back-to-back as shown in FIG. 2, will be of equal length measured from the center of the partition structure 12. This gives compartments 11 of equivalent storage capacity.

So that drawings shorter than the length of the interior of the storage file unit cannot be inadvertently pushed out of convenient reach within the depths of the respective compartments in which they are stored, abutment stop means are associated with the partition structure at intervals along its length in normally out-of-the-way positions but selectively adjustable to abutment stop positions. These conveniently take the form of tabs 16, blanked out from the material of the partition elements, and selectively bendable from planar coincidence with the corresponding legs of such partition elements, see FIG. 2, to abutment stop positions perpendicular to such legs, see FIG. 3.

The tabs 16 are preferably placed along the length of the partition element in accordance with the lengths of standard sizes of drawings 17, so that the compartments may be readily prepared for the reception of such drawings.

The several drawings stored in a compartmented file unit 10 may be conveniently indexed at the front of the door 18 of such unit by means of a four-section index card 19, FIG. 1.

Reverting to the peculiar formation of each of the partition elements 13, which enable convenient and effective interengagement for the purpose intended, it should be noted that each has the one leg 13b bent back over the vertexial margin of the other leg 13a to provide a vertex of acute angle formation, although the partition element is itself of right-angle formation. This makes it possible to provide the strip section 14 of sufiicient width to give good mating interengagement between two of the partition elements and still have the legs 13a and 13b of substantially equal extent from the line of intersection of a planar extension of leg 1312 with the leg 13a, as they must be if the resulting partition structure is to divide a cylindrical space into four storage compartments of equivalent storage capacity. -The mating strip section 14, it should be noted, is offset from the plane of leg 13a toward leg 13b.

It has been convenient to illustrate and describe the invention in connection with the interlocking storage receptacle units of my earlier application and, up to the present, this represents the best form of my invention. However, it should be understood that various other constructions may be developed by those skilled in the art,

Without departing from the essential inventive concepts disclosed and claimed.

I claim:

1. A partition element for compartmenting tubular storage files, comprising an elongate piece of bendable sheet material formed as a structural angle, with one leg of the angle bent back over the vertexial margin of the other leg to provide a vertex of acute angle formation although the partition element is of right-angle formation, the two legs of the angle partition element being of substantially equal extent measured from the intersection of a planar extension of the said one leg with the said other leg; and means along the said vertexial margin of the other leg for mating interengagement with similar means of a like partition element.

2. The partition element of claim 1, wherein the mating means comprises a mating strip section offset from the plane of the other leg along the vertexial margin of said other leg and toward the one leg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 366,886 Schmidt July 19, 1887 380,960 Walker Apr. 10, 1888 1,282,833 Holder Oct. 29, 1918 1,465,627 Fisher Aug. 21, 1923 1,938,051 Sockler Dec. 5, 1933 1,998,737 Reich Apr. 23, 1935 2,534,402 Blair Dec. 19, 1950 2,599,240 Ellerson June 3, 1952 2,745,587 Vander Lugt May 15, 1956 

1. A PARTITION ELEMENT FOR COMPARTMENTING TUBULAR STORAGE FILES, COMPRISING AN ELONGATE PIECE OF BENDABLE SHEET MATERIAL FORMED AS A STRUCTURAL ANGLE, WITH ONE LEG OF THE ANGLE BENT BACK OVER THE VERTEXIAL MARGIN OF THE OTHER LEG TO PROVIDE A VERTEX OF ACUTE ANGLE FORMATION ALTHOUGH THE PARTITION ELEMENT IS OF RIGHT-ANGLE FORMATION, THE TWO LEGS OF THE ANGLE PARTITION ELEMENT BEING OF SUBSTANTIALLY EQUAL EXTENT MEASURED FROM THE INTERSECTION OF A PLANAR EXTENSION OF THE SAID ONE LEG WITH THE SAID OTHER LEG; AND MEANS ALONG THE SAID VERTEXIAL MARGIN OF THE OTHER LEG FOR MATING INTERENGAGEMENT WITH SIMILAR MEANS OF A LIKE PARTITION ELEMENT. 